The Chronicles of Enguerrand de Monstrelet: Containing an Account of the ...

his feelings, he replied, that he would advise with his council on the subject of their coming, and within a short time would send an answer to their lord by a confidential person. Upon this, the ambassadors returned to Burgundy.

The duke of Aquitaine consulted the grand council on the above; and in consequence, sir Guichard Daulphin, the lord de Viel-pont, and master John de Vailly, president of the parliament, were sent, in the king's name, to Burgundy, where they treated so effectually with the duke, whom they met at Dijon, that he took the same oaths the others had done ; and they brought back his certificate under his seal, which was given to Estienne Mauregard, master of the rolls. The duke of Burgundy, however, kept up a very large force of men-atarms and archers, in the duchy and county of Burgundy, and the adjacent parts, to the great loss of the poor inhabitants, to aid and defend him, should there be occasion.

On the 23d day of July, those five hundred persons whose names had been excepted from the amnesty on the conclusion of the peace between the duke of Burgundy and the other princes of the blood, were publicly banished, by sound of trumpet, from France, in the presence of the ambassadors from the duke of Burgundy, at that time in Paris.

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king of and mise en France were exalt hi Holiness below to But des Abraham bor.

CHAPTER CXL.-HENRY, KING OF ENGLAND, MAKES GREAT PREPARATIONS TO INVADE

FRANCE.—HE SENDS LETTERS TO THE KING OF FRANCE AT PARIS. It is proper that we now return to the king of England, who was making vast preparations of warlike stores, and every other necessary, to accomplish his projected invasion of France. He had marched his army to Southampton, and to the neighbouring sea-ports; and after the 2d day of August, when the truce between the two kingdoms expired, the garrisons of Calais and other places began to overrun and despoil the country of the Boulonois, and divers other parts. The king of France instantly ordered thither, to oppose them, the lord de Rambures, master of the cross-bows, and the lord de Louroy, with five hundred combatants, for the defence of the country. Within a few days after the expiration of the truce, king Henry, whose preparations were now completed, sent one of his heralds called Gloucester *, to Paris, to deliver letters to the king, of which the contents were as follows.

“To the very noble prince, Charles, our cousin and adversary, of France. Henry, by the grace of God king of England and of France. To give to every one what is their due, is a work of inspiration and wise council, very noble prince, our cousin and adversary. The noble kingdoms of England and France were formerly united, now they are divided. At that time it was customary for each person to exalt his name by glorious victories, and by this single virtue to extol the honour of God, to whom holiness belongs, and to give peace to his church, by subjecting in battle the enemies of the public weal. But alas ! good faith among kindred, and brotherly love, have been perverted ; and Lot persecutes Abraham by human impulsion, and Dissention, the mother of Anger, has been raised from the dead. We, however, appeal to the sovereign Judge, (who is neither swayed by prayers nor gifts from doing right), that we have, from pure affection, done every thing in our power to preserve the peace; and we must now rely on the sword for regaining what is justly our heritage, and those rights which have from old time belonged to us; and we feel such assurance in our courage that we will fight till death in the cause of justice. The written law in the book of Deuteronomy ordains, that before any person commences an attack on a city, he shall first offer terms of peace; and although violence has detained from us our rightful inheritances, charity, however, induces us to attempt, by fair means, their recovery; for should justice be denied us, we may then resort to arms. And to avoid having our conscience affected by this matter, we make our personal request to you, and exhort you by the bowels of Jesus Christ, to follow the dictates of his evangelical doctrine. Friend, restore what thou owest, for such is the will of God, to prevent the effusion of the blood of man, who was created in his likeness. Such restitution of rights cruelly torn from us, and which we have so frequently demanded by our ambassadors, will be agreeable to the supreme

* Hollingshed styles him “ Antilope, pursuivant at arms.”

God, and secure peace on earth. From our love of peace, we were inclined to refuse fifty thousand golden crowns lately offered us ; for, being more desirous of peace than riches, we have preferred enjoying the patrimony left us by our venerable ancestors, with our very dear cousin Catherine, your noble daughter, to iniquitously multiplying our treasures, and thus disgracing the honour of our crown, which God forbid !

“Given under our privy seal, in our castle of Southampton, the 5th day of the month of August.”

The above letter having been presented by the herald to the king of France, he was told that the king and council would examine it, and consider more at length its contents, -and that the king would provide accordingly, in such time and place as should seem good to him,—and that he might return to his lord the king of England when he pleased.

CHAPTER CXLI.—THE KING OF ENGLAND, WHILE AT SOUTHAMPTON, DISCOVERS A CONSPI

RACY OF HIS NOBLES AGAINST HIM.—HE LAYS SIEGE TO HARFLEUR, AND WINS THAT

TOWN. While the king of England remained at Southampton, to embark his army which was now ready to sail for France, he was informed that many lords of his household had entered into a conspiracy against him, with the intent to place the earl of March, the rightful successor and heir to Richard the Second, on the throne of England. True it is, that the earl of Cambridge, with others, had plotted to seize the persons of the king and his brothers, to accomplish the above purpose, and had revealed their plan to the earl of March, who had discovered it to the king, advising him, at the same time, to be on his guard, or he would be betrayed, and named to him the conspirators. King Henry was not long in having them arrested, when the three principal were beheaded, namely, the earl of Cambridge, the lord Scrope of Masham, who every night slept with the king, and sir Thomas Grey.

thenle others were aftended, the king ha Lady, they madinene

This matter being ended, the king hastened the embarkation of his army, and put to sea. On the vigil of the Assumption of Our Lady, they made in the night-time a barbour * which lies between Harfleur and Honfleur, where the river Seine enters the sea, and landed without any effusion of blood. Their fleet might consist of about sixteen hundred vessels of all sorts, full of soldiers, and every sort of warlike stores. When the whole of the army was landed, the king fixed his quarters at a priory in Graville t; and his brothers, the dukes of Clarence and Gloucester g, near to him. His uncles, the dukes of York || and Dorset , the bishop of Norwich, the earls of Windsor **, Suffolk ft, earl marshal, Warwick #1 and Kent$, the lords de Camber, Beaumont, Willoughby of Trompington, sir John de Cornewall, Molliflac (Ill, with many more, lodged themselves as well as they could. They marched the army to besiege with vigour the town of Harfleur, the commanding sea-port of all that coast of Normandy. · The king's army was composed of about six thousand helmets and twenty-three thousand archers, exclusive of cannoneers, and others employed with the engines of war, of which he had great abundance. About four hundred picked men-at-arms had been sent by the French government to defend Harfleur, under the command of the lords d'Estouteville, governor of the town, de Blainville, de Bacqueville, de Hermanville, de Gaillart, de Bos, de Clerè, de * Probably Quillebauf.

treason in 1 H. 4,-secondly, in fixing the date of creation + Graville,a small town in Normandy, on the road in 1 H. 4, whereas the earl of Dorset was not made between Havre and Harfleur.

duke of Exeter till 4 H. 5, the year after the battle of Thomas, duke of Clarence.

Azincourt. · Humphry, duke of Gloucester.

** There was no earl of Windsor. - This is probably a || Edward, duke of York, son of Edmund Langley, mistake for Ralph Nevil, earl of Westinoreland, who fifth son of Edward III.

accompanied the king. Thomas Somerset, carl of Dorset, and afterwards t Michael de la Pole, earl of Suffolk, killed at duke of Exeter, youngest son of John of Gaunt by Cathe- Azincourt. rine Swineford. Hollingshed commits two errors,—first, Richard Beauchamp, earl of Warwick, a distin. in saying that the marquis of Dorset was made duke of guished warrior, and afterwards regent of France. Exeter, whereas the marquis of Dorset was a distinct $$ A mistake for Gilbert de Umphraville, earl of person from the earl, being the eldest son of John of Kyme. Gaunt by the same venter, and forfeited his title by |||| Molliflac. Q. Molins.

Becton, de Adsanches, de Briautè *, de Gaucourt, de l'Isle-Adamt, and several other valiant knights and esquires, to the amount aforesaid, who gallantly opposed the English. But their attempts were vain against so superior a force; and in their sallies, they had great difficulty

REMAINS OF THE WALLS OF HARFLEUR, WITH THE CHURCH OF ST. MARTIN IN THE DISTANCE.

From an original drawing.

to re-enter the town. They took up the pavement which was between Montivilliers and Harfleur, to make the road as bad as possible, and carried away the stones. Notwithstanding this, the English scoured the country, made many prisoners, and gained much booty; and planted their large engines in the most convenient spots for battering the town, which greatly damaged its walls. The besieged were not slack in their defence, but made such good use of cross-bows and other weapons, that many of the English were slain. The town had but two gates, namely, that of Caltinant and that of Montivilliers, whence they made several vigorous sallies on the enemy; but the English defended themselves well. An unfortunate accident

Roger, third lord of La Bréau tè, &c., chamberlain times taken prisoner, and ruined in the efforts made to to Charles VI, and VII. The misfortunes of this family ransom him : he was at last killed at the battle of Monalmost equal those of the house of Stuart, Roger, elder tlehery, in 1460. James, the third son, was lord of brother to this lord of Bréautè, was killed at Gisors in Bellefosse, killed at Pataye in 1429. Roger lord of 1404, when on the eve of marriage. The present lord Crouin, the fourth son, was killed in England in 1460. was made prisoner in Normandy, and sold half his estates All the members of this unhappy family were distinguished to ransom himself: of the remainder, he was afterwards for valour. deprived by the chance of war. His eldest son, John, + Ancel de l'Isle-Adam, lord of Puysieux, Vegnai, was killed at the battle of Verneuil in 1424. His second &c., and grand-échanson of France, was killed at Azinson, also called John, succeeded his father, was three court.

befel the besieged ; for a supply of gunpowder, sent them by the king of France, was met by the English and taken.

While these things were passing, the king of France sent against the English a considerable body of men-at-arms to Rouen, and other parts on the frontier, under the charge of the constable, the marshal Boucicaut, the seneschal of Hainault, the lords de Ligny, de Hamede, sir Clugnet de Brabant, and several other captains. These commanders so well guarded the country, that the English were unable to gain any town or fortress while part of their army was engaged at the siege, although they took great pains so to do; for they frequently made excursions in large bodies over the low countries in search of provision, and to meet the enemy: they did very great damage wherever they passed, and carried off large booties to their head-quarters. However, by the prudent conduct of the French commanders, the English were very much straitened for provision, for the greater part of the stores they had brought with them had been spoiled at sea. Add to this, that an epidemical bowel-complaint raged in their camp, of which upwards of two thousand died. The principal persons thus carried off were, the earl of Stafford *, the bishop of Norwich, the lords Beaumont, Willoughby of Trompington, Burnel, and many other noblemen.

The king of England nevertheless pushed on the siege with great diligence and labour. He had caused three mines to be carried under the walls, and his engines had nearly demolished the gates, which being made known to the inhabitants, and that they were daily liable to be stormed, they offered to surrender themselves to the king, provided they were not within three days succoured from France : they gave hostages for the due performance of this treaty, and thereby saved their lives by paying ransoms. The lord de Bacqueville was sent by the captains in Harfleur to the king of France and the duke of Aquitaine, who were at Vernonsur-Seine, to make them acquainted with their situation, and to tell them, that unless they were succoured within three days, they would lose their town and all within it. He was in reply told, that the king's forces were not yet assembled, or prepared to give such speedy succour: upon which, the lord de Bacqueville returned to Harfleur,--and it was surrendered to the king of England on St. Maurice's day, to the great sorrow and loss of the inhabitants, and displeasure of the French ; for, as I have said, it was the principal sea-port of that part of Normandy.

CHAPTER CXLII.-THE CANONS OF ST. GERY, IN CAMBRAY, QUARREL WITH THE INHABITANTS.

—THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY IN CONSEQUENCE MAKES WAR ON CAMBRAY. At this time, there was a great quarrel between the citizens and inhabitants of Cambray and the canons of the chapter of St. Gery within that town. The inhabitants, foreseeing that the present war between England and France might be carried on near their country, determined, for the greater security of themselves and their town, to repair and enlarge its walls and bulwarks; and consequently they demolished, by force or otherwise, many walls of the gardens of the townsmen which had encroached too near them. They particularly destroyed the gardens belonging to the aforesaid canons, taking a large portion of their land without intending to make them any recompence for what they had done. The inhabitants also wanted to prevent the canons selling wine from their cellars, although they had for a long time done so from their own vintage. For these several offences and, grievances the canons, having frequently demanded, but in vain, redress from the townsmen, made heavy complaints of what they had suffered, and were still suffering, to the duke of Burgundy and his council; because, as earl of Flanders, he was the hereditary guardian and defender of all the churches within Cambray. For this guardianship, a certain quantity of corn was annually paid to the duke as protector of the churches within the Cambresis, and this impost was called the Gavennef of Cambresis.

* Another mistake. Henry, at this time earl of expedition against the French, but did not die till five years Stafford, was only twenty years old at the accession of after. Henry VI. His father, Edmund Stafford, was killed † Gavenne,—the right of protection due to the counts many years before, at the battle of Shrewsbury. Hugh of Flanders, in quality of guardians, or gareniers, of Stafford, lord Bourchier, accompanied the king on this Cambresis.—Dict. du vieux Langage.

The duke of Burgundy was very much displeased at this conduct of the Cambresians, and sent solemn messengers to inform them, that if they did not make instant and full satisfaction to the canons who were under his protection, for all the damages they had done them, he should take such measures as would serve for an example to all others. Not receiving an answer which was agreeable to him, and being then in Burgundy, he wrote to his son Philippe, count de Charolois, in Flanders, to order him to secure the canons of St. Gery from all oppression and violence, and to constrain the inhabitants of Cambray to make reparation for the wrongs they had done them. The count of Charolois, knowing the temper of his father, again summoned the townsmen to make satisfaction to the canons; and because they sent evasive answers, he secretly advised the canons to leave Cambray and go to Lille, at which town he would find them a handsome dwelling. The canons, on this, placed the better part of their effects in safety, and then secretly left Cambray and went to Lille, or at least the greater number of them.

Soon after their departure, the count de Charolois sent his defiance to the town of Cambray by Hector de Saveuses, who had assembled full three hundred combatants. On the feast-day of the exaltation of the holy cross, he suddenly entered the Cambresis, and advanced almost to the gates of Cambray, when, it being market-day, he plundered, killed, and wounded very many of the town, and perpetrated other cruel deeds. Hector did not make any long stay, but departed, with an immense booty, to quarter himself near to Braye-surSomme, saying, that what he had done was by orders of the count de Charolois. This attack much astonished those of Cambray, and put them in great fear. They conceived a greater hatred than before against the canons of St. Gery, increased every preparation for the defence of their town, and made daily seizures of the effects of these canons, such as wine, corn, wood, and other necessaries of life.

The citizens, however, having suffered several inroads and great losses, and considering that in the end the war must be the destruction of their town, solicited duke William count of Hainault, guardian of Cambray for the king of France, that he would negotiate a peace for them with his nephew the count de Charolois, and that they were willing to make every reasonable restitution to the canons for the loss they might have suffered. By the interference, therefore, of duke William and others, the dispute was referred to some doctors of civil law, who sentenced the citizens to rebuild all the walls they had destroyed of the canons' gardens, and to bind themselves to pay annually to the said canons one hundred francs of royal money, on condition that the said canons were not to sell any wines from their cellars. The citizens were allowed liberty to buy up this annuity of a hundred francs for a certain sum, whenever they shall have the power and inclination so to do. On these and some other terms was the quarrel appeased, and the canons returned to their church in Cambray.

CHAPTER CXLIII.-THE KING OF FRANCE COLLECTS A GREAT BODY OF MEN-AT-ARMS

FROM ALL PARTS OF HIS KINGDOM TO OPPOSE THE ENGLISH.—THE SUMMONS DE

ISSUES ON THE OCCASION. When the king of France and his council heard of the surrender of Harfleur to the king of England, they consequently expected that he would attempt greater objects, and instantly issued summonses for raising in every part of the kingdom the greatest possible force of menat-arms. The better to succeed, he ordered his bailiffs and seneschals to exert themselves personally throughout their jurisdictions, and to make known that he had sent ambassadors to England, to offer his daughter in marriage to king Henry, with an immense portion in lands and money, to obtain peace, but that he had failed; and the king of England had invaded his realm, and besieged and taken his town of Harfleur, very much to his displeasure. On this account, therefore, he earnestly solicited the aid of all his vassals and subjects, and required them to join him without delay. He also despatched messengers into Picardy, with sealed letters to the lords de Croy, de Waurin, de Fosseux, de Crequi, de Heuchin, de Brimeu, de Mammez, de la Viefville, de Beaufort, d’Inchy, de Noyelle, de Neufville, and to other noblemen, to order them instantly to raise their powers, under pain of his indignation,